G20 AND APEC

THE SHOWS OF SOUTH KOREA, JAPAN AND INDONESIA

Kornelius Purba

The Jakarta Post, November 4, 2010

Next week South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan separately will host two crucial multilateral summits. For President Lee this is a magnificent opportunity to demonstrate the achievements of the world’s 15th largest economy, while for PM Kan this is a good chance to lift a “demoralized” nation whose economy and global influence have been overpowered by China.

On Nov. 11-12 President Lee will preside over the summit of the world’s 20 largest economies (G20) in Seoul and over the following two days (Nov. 13-14) it will be the turn of PM Kan to chair the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Yokohama. The president is luckier than the prime minister because all members of G8 are also members of the G20, which means in terms of content, the Seoul meeting is much more attractive for the world media than Yokohama. APEC reached its glorious peak in the 1990s when Indonesia hosted the second summit in 1994.

The Seoul event is also an occasion to “tease” leaders of North Korea as the country continues to face economic hardships. For Kan, his top priority includes his bilateral meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao in which he will aim to cool down tensions after a recent clash over a territorial dispute. A meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to discuss territorial disputes is also on the top list for domestic political consumption.

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